A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to hoping 2019 will be better because my 2018 was all over the place, full of many ups and downs (mostly the latter, probably). But one positive that came out of this is that Distance is now over 70 reviews and 3,000+ hits! I want to thank everyone for your ongoing support, for this fanfic and my other projects.

On a different note, it's been over two years since I uploaded my first work, Hidden Bravery, on this website. I still can't believe it's been this long, and I ended up finishing that fanfic at the end of July. Seriously, where did the time go? Anyway, that's enough about me.

Because this chapter will reveal Mario's fate, I took down the question on my profile. Just going off the poll alone, the final results had eight votes for the 'drastic' event, which the majority got correct. Then we have the others:

~He apologizes to Peach, and she accepts his proposal. – 4 votes

~He apologizes to Peach, but he doesn't ask for her hand in marriage. – 2 votes

~He apologizes to Peach but gets rejected. They still remain as close friends. – 1 vote

(The other options had 0 votes.)

The poll doesn't say who voted for what. Regardless, we'll see if anyone ended up guessing the correct answer. And whatever happens here stays like this. I'm not going to change the outcome at all. So whether or not you like it, hate it, or want to throw harmful objects at me, that's not going to affect anything.

Alright, I don't want to waste more of your time. Let's get back to Distance!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Mario. References from Super Mario Odyssey are found here, so please exit this story if you want to avoid spoilers.

"Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."

~Robert A. Heinlein (from 'Stranger in a Strange Land')

Chapter 6: Heart-to-Heart

Mario emerged from the green warp pipe in the city of Toad Town. Light posts were lit up to help the citizens see where they were going. As he hopped off, a Yellow Toad, who happened to be the one who has helped Mario in his adventures, noticed him as he was walking in his direction. (1)

"Hey, Mario! There you are."

"Hello, Yellow." To the Toad, that's the nickname he preferred to be called, despite the fact that there are dozens of other Toads with the same colored dots on their heads.

"Everyone's been wondering where you've been. The princess, Luigi, and just about everyone in town! We thought something bad happened, but some of us had to stay here and finish decorating for Princess Daisy's party tomorrow."

"Don't worry. I'm here, and that's what matters. However, I need to see Peach urgently."

"I'm pretty sure she hasn't left the castle. You can head on over."

"Thanks, Yellow. I'll see you later."

"Okay! Bye, Mario!"

Mario got into a sprint, passing by other Toads who added more decorations on the city's buildings. His heart was racing. Not from the running, but from the insistence that he needed to talk to Peach as soon as possible. He already set aside his negative thoughts that he previously had during his daytime trip. He finally reached the castle, skidding to a halt as he saw the multitude of lights and banners that the community put up. He was really impressed with the effort they've done. Getting distracted, Mario shook his head and ran over to the doors. He was about to open them until he realized they were locked. With his fists, he banged it loudly and repeatedly until someone answered.

"Who the heck is that?" Mario heard from the other side. He stopped and waited for the entrance to open. "Oh my god! Mario!"

"Hey, Toad. Listen, I have to make this quick. I'm sorry I didn't help out today. But I need to see Peach."

"Oh, um... She's up in her room, I think. And-"

"Thanks, Toad!" Mario ignored what he was about to say next as he hurried up the stairs.

Toad sighed while he closed the doors. He saw Toadette walking up to him.

"What was that all about?"

"To be honest, I have no idea."

Although Mario was rushing, he had to mind the other Toads and made sure that he didn't bump into them accidentally. Before he got to the princess' room, he heard an irate voice from behind.

"Master Mario!"

He stopped and turned around. Toadsworth was waving his brown cane at him.

"Toadsworth. I can explain-"

"By the Star Spirits' sake, you will explain yourself!" he shouted while he sluggishly made his way towards him. "You and Master Luigi were supposed to be helping with Princess Daisy's party. And what did I come across? Your absence! Only your brother cared enough to finish the last of the embellishments while you failed to show up!"

Mario had no time to argue with the elderly Toad. He knew how cross Toadsworth can be whenever he didn't live up to people's expectations. And because he dawdled throughout most of the day in the Cap and Metro Kingdoms, the Toad probably wanted a direct and honest answer.

"I accept all of the blame, Toadsworth. I understand that I wasn't here to help, and I had no good reason to not show up. But I need to see Peach."

"Why is that?" he was skeptical.

"It's really important that I need to speak to her."

Toadsworth narrowed his eyes from behind his small glasses. His white mustache also drooped. "You're not being straightforward, Master Mario. Explain to me now!"

Mario blinked, swallowing the lump in his throat. He pulled the collar of his shirt, sweating from being nervous again. "I, uh-"

It was quite unnerving how the red-clad man went from being guilty to unconfident, then to determined, and then back to unconfident again as he was put up on the spot in front of Peach's steward. Despite how overprotective and harsh the old guardian can be at times, it was because he was genuinely concerned about the safety and well-being of everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course, he was always apprehensive about the princess, but he was worried about Mario, too.

"Master Mario, please work with me here," his voice softened.

"Toadsworth, I messed up. Really badly."

"About what?"

"You see-"

Just then, someone else spoke up, startling both of them in the process. "Mario? Toadsworth?" They looked over to see Princess Peach peeking out from her bedroom door. "What's going on out there? I heard some shouting from you, Toadsworth, and I could've sworn I heard your name and voice, Mario. Not only that, but I was wondering where you were this whole time."

Mario's heart nearly broke into two. He noticed how upset the pink princess was from the tone of her delicate voice. "Peach, I... I have to apologize to you."

"That you didn't show up today?"

"No. I mean, well, that as well. But it's about something else. And," he gazed down, shuffling his foot against the carpet, "I was hoping I would speak to you in private because... it's personal between us."

Peach frowned. After standing idly for a few seconds, she turned to the brown Toad. "Toadsworth, could you please excuse us?"

He kindly nodded. "Yes, Princess. Master Mario," he bowed to him before leaving them alone.

Mario exhaled through his nose, shuddering. He turned back to Peach where both of them stared at each other for a short while. The awkward silence was broken once she talked again.

"Um, you can come inside now."

He gave his thanks with a nod before entering. After she shut and locked her door, they stood in the middle of the room, gazing at each other once again. Peach was full of curiosity and uneasiness. Mario's eyes were full of guilt and grief. He knew that this meeting wouldn't go anywhere if he remained quiet. It was that time he let the cat out of the bag.

"So..." Mario looked down, his hands folded behind his back.

"So..." Peach repeated.

"I guess I'll start off by saying where I was today. I didn't stay home like I was sick or something like that."

"Then what happened? All I know was that when I called you on the phone, you said 'Hello?' and that was it. You didn't say a single word to me after that. Plus, you hung up even though I kept asking if you were there."

"I'm sorry, Peach. Believe me, this will be the first time you'll hear that from me. I've got plenty of things to apologize for."

"What else is there besides not coming here to help with the party?"

"That's the next thing. I never intended to break my promise, but I decided to leave the Mushroom Kingdom because I needed closure."

"For what?"

"I'll explain later. Going back to where I was, I flew in the Odyssey and visited the Cap Kingdom first. I spent some time with Cappy and Tiara, but mostly Cappy. I wanted to talk to him about something that has bothered me for so long. He understood my feelings, and I appreciated him for taking the time to listen."

"What did you two talk about?"

"I'm getting there. After I left Bonneton, I then traveled to the Metro Kingdom. I ended up speaking to Pauline about the same thing. Except, she gave me some extra feedback and insight on how to deal with my issue. She also stressed out that I needed to see you as soon as possible by the time I left New Donk City. But before I could, I needed to park the Odyssey and get something from my house. That's when Luigi confronted me, and I also explained my predicament to him. After he also gave me encouragement, I wanted to see you. Well technically, I had to. And that's why I'm here right now."

"Mario," Peach sighed, "as much as I appreciate your honesty, I still don't understand the whole story. Why did you leave and bail out on us? And why do you keep avoiding me whenever I wanted to talk to you?"

The plumber shut his eyes and tilted his chin down in shame. His hands were planted on his sides. Peach kept her eyes fixed at him, wondering what's taking him so long to answer her question. What she didn't expect next was the look on his face. He faced her with his blue eyes. His blue, watering eyes.

"Mario?" she lightly gasped. Never had she ever seen Mario like this before. Well, maybe it happened once, but this was something completely unforeseen to her.

The man blinked, feeling the tears on the edge of his eyelids as they threatened to fall down his cheeks. His lip quivered, having trouble to utter the words he wanted to say. He lost all of his confidence again, right in front of the princess.

But he couldn't care less.

Not only was Peach shocked, but she was also distraught to see her hero like this. The first thing she thought of was to give him a warming embrace to calm him down. But when she tried to approach him, he took a step back. Confused, Peach saw Mario raise a hand, confirming her to stop what she was about to do. And then, he said it.

"I was scared. I-I was scared of... y-you."

"Me?" She received a silent nod. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. I did," he lowered his hand and stared down at the floor.

"What do you mean? Is this about today?"

"No. It's about everything I've done to you. I ignored you. I didn't want to spend time with you. I didn't have the heart to engage in your conversations. I pretended to have a good time when we were doubles partners in tennis. I didn't have the courage to look at your face! Everything I did over the last twelve months was wrong! And it all started because..." Mario stopped as he failed to keep his emotions in check.

Peach became more concerned about Mario than before. "Because of what?" she deliberately asked.

Mario glanced at the princess again. His voice began to crack. "I treated you with the utmost disrespect. I only cared about myself as I rudely shoved a flower in your face."

Her eyes enlarged and breathed out a small gasp. An epiphany sparked in Peach's mind as she instantly realized what Mario was referring. She pictured the two of them on the moon, enjoying each other's company after the reckless adventure they had earlier. And then, all that joy fell apart when Bowser stepped in to ruin things once again, which only fueled Mario's mind to do that to her. Peach then reminisced how harsh she was to Bowser, but she also remembered the response she gave to her mustachioed hero. The icing on the cake was seeing his reaction, going from a face full of disbelief to one filled with complete disappointment.

That was when she understood everything.

"Oh my goodness. My rejection caused you to act like this?"

Mario finally let the droplets escape. "Yes. That moment led me to believe that I was never going to be friends with you again. Let alone, be that special one to adore and hold you dearly for the rest of your life. It was a ridiculous belief, but the truth is, I love you, Peach." His cheeks started to turn red. "We may have not gotten too far in a relationship, and I know it was hard to tell what kind of love I was experiencing back then. But that feeling was there, deep down inside my heart. I cared about you so much. And eventually, I was eager to explain my true feelings for you. I wanted to wait for the right moment to propose to you. And well, we both know what happened after that. The first time when Bowser abducted you and the second time in Honeylune Ridge."

Peach comprehended his point, blushing after the revelation that he admitted his love for her. She remained silent, persistent to intently listen to him.

"When you rejected me, I found out that what you said was all true. I should've been mature. Instead, I acted as if you were a trophy and competed against Bowser to win your affection. That was morally wrong of me to do that, especially to someone like you. Afterward, things were so awkward when I joined you on the Odyssey as we flew back home...

"Although Cappy and I visited you and Tiara in the kingdoms, I was panicking on the inside whenever you talked to me. I know it's not in your nature to bring up bad moments from the past, but I was afraid that you would say something like that, only because I thought I deserved to be ridiculed...

"Eventually, I made the decision to give you some space. That was why I was distant from you over the past year. I didn't want to make you mad or upset like before. But after talking to Cappy, Pauline, and Luigi, I had to come to terms and muster up the strength to speak to you since it was rude of me to neglect you. And I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry I kept lying to you. I'm sorry I waited until now to explain myself. I'm sorry I did everything that hurt your feelings."

The princess was moved that she was also on the verge of tears. She perceived how candid Mario was throughout his apology. It wasn't from his mind or from a script. Every single word and phrase that he mentioned was straight from his soul. And those tears were not even close to being fake.

Mario sniffed, wiping the drops with the sleeve of his shirt and his gloved hand. He turned around and walked over to the balcony. Peach watched him meander outside from where she stood. Mario leaned on the balustrade, staring at the full moon that gleamed in the Mushroom Kingdom's sky.

"If I could turn back time, I wouldn't go back to the moment when I tried to propose to you on the moon. I wouldn't go back to when I tried proposing the first time before Bowser took you away. I would've waited until after we returned home. And immediately following that, I would've been straight up and said, 'Princess, I'm sorry I behaved like that. I hope that doesn't change anything between us', or something along those lines. If I would've apologized earlier, maybe this awkward tension wouldn't be between us. I probably wouldn't have gotten these nightmares where I cringe at my stupid actions. And I wouldn't have kept my distance from you."

The blonde princess heard all of that from afar in her room. She slowly ambled over to the broken hero in red. She stood next to him, barely glimpsing at Mario whose head remained high.

She was devastated. She saw more tears fall from his eyes.

When she talked to Daisy earlier, Peach mentioned to her friend that she had a suspicion that she had something to do with Mario's odd behavior. Now that she found out, she, herself, was in a state of guilt.

"Oh, Mario... I have never seen you like this before. Did I truly break your heart this badly?"

Peach couldn't take it anymore. She closed the gap by doing something that he didn't anticipate. With her left hand, she reached out and held it over Mario's right. She felt a jitter from him. Soon after, she locked her fingers in between the spaces of his digits. Mario cautiously turned his head towards her. Yet again, they found themselves looking at one another without saying anything.

"Thank you, Mario," the princess finally spoke. "I'm glad you were able to tell me."

"Really?"

A small smile was present on her lips. "Yes," she whispered.

Mario nodded in acknowledgement even though he didn't return the expression. At the very least, his sobbing had ceased. He wiped his eyes to dry them.

Peach frowned when she noticed. "Mario? Is there something else that's wrong?"

The answer was 'yes', but he didn't say that or anything at all. Instead, Mario gradually removed his hand from under Peach's and directly faced her.

"My friends and Luigi wanted me to apologize to you, and I'm relieved that I finally got through that. But, there is something I haven't done yet. And it's been exactly a year since I tried to do it the first time. I want to properly do it without any interruptions. And regardless of the outcome, I just hope we can still be friends."

"Mario, we are friends and always will be. Ever since I first met you, you've been great and kind to me. You didn't have to be formal and dignified around me just to make me smile or feel comfortable. Having you as company always cheers me up. And despite our rift, I never wanted us to not be friends."

He sighed in relief. "That's really all I wanted to hear. Thank you, Peach."

"You're welcome, Mario. But what did you mean by 'regardless of the outcome'?"

Suddenly, he kneeled down on one knee and reached inside his overalls. Peach blinked and realized what he was doing. It was like déjà vu all over again.

"To repeat myself, I just want to do it without having any complications. More importantly, I'm not going to convince or force you to make this decision. This is all on you and you only." He then took the princess' hand. "I have spent the time to know the real you beyond your royal title. Because of that, I admired and loved you for who you are. I don't care that I'm not a royal, nor do I care that if I do become one, I'd have to adjust to life very differently. My only concern is if you'll give me the responsibility to take care and love you for the rest of my life. So now, I have to ask you..." He took out the small jewelry box and opened it to reveal the ring and the message written inside. "Princess Peach Toadstool, will you marry me?"

Peach's eyes glistened like the many stars above her. She was fascinated by the details on the golden ring. The large diamond made it extravagant and gorgeous. But something else clouded Peach's thoughts. It was the fact that Mario had saved this for a year because Bowser wanted to marry her, as well as the part when she turned down Mario in the Moon Kingdom.

The latter caused him to be scared of her. And the thought of that made her upset again.

This time, she was the one who started crying. As for Mario, he was the curious one. In a matter of minutes, their roles were reversed.

"P-Peach?"

"Oh, Mario," she whimpered with heartbreak, "I can't believe I did this to you! I did reject you on the moon because of your misconduct. And I thought getting married at the time was too much after what happened between me and Bowser. I just never thought I would emotionally crush you like this at all."

"But Peach-"

She didn't want him to interject. "Now that I think about it, when I left you and Bowser, I was torn. I knew you didn't mean to act that way intentionally. There was just too much pressure and tension that I lost control of myself. Not only that, I don't think I even thanked you properly from preventing Bowser to be wed with me. I... I'm so foolish of myself! I'm so sorry, Mario!"

"What?" Mario's mouth was agape. He put the ring away and gently held her wrists. "Why are you apologizing to me?! I'm not the one who deserves pity or forgiveness."

"Didn't you hear me?" she shook her head and kneeled down until she was at his eye level. "You've done so many good things to me while the most I've done was bake cakes and give kisses on your face to show my appreciation. Despite the fact that they seem platonic in one aspect, I actually had strong feelings for you, too. I can agree that whatever kind of love there was between us, it was hard to tell if it was true or not. But over the course of time, I eventually found out that I do love you, Mario. And I didn't admit it until now, right after you explained why you've been avoiding me. Regardless, I never meant to push you away because of something I started. All of that was my fault...

"And that made me think to myself; if I do marry you, what are the chances that I would do something similar? What if I break your heart again? I don't want that to occur if it'll make you depressed and distant like before. I still don't know if I'm ready to take on such a major commitment!"

As the tears streamed down, she covered her face with her hands. Mario had comforted Peach many times in the past, but this time was much different than the others. His knees fell to the balcony floor. He got closer to the princess and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing a hand on her back to calm her down. As she wept, her arms eventually made their way around his neck, and she laid her chin in the crook of his neck, shaking uncontrollably.

"Peach... You had to do something to break me and Bowser apart from our fight."

"I c-could've done it... in a b-better manner though," she choked on her words. "After all, I'm still not that great of a p-princess. From what I've done, I'm practically u-useless."

Mario recalled that she belittled herself like this. He didn't want her to go down that path again. He pulled away from the hug and gave her a stern look. "No. You had every right to be abrasive, even if it didn't match your principles. You needed to be bold for us to stop quarreling. And you emphasized that. You were able to do something daring, even if it hurt both of us. Otherwise, we probably would've spent hours, if not days, on the freaking moon trying to sweep you off your feet. That was one example where you showed courage. You've been on several adventures with us or on your own, so both you and I know that you can take care of yourself and do many great things with your abilities. You don't always get into trouble, and you're not a useless person."

"M-Mario-" She was stopped when Mario's finger pressed against her mouth.

"You have to understand that you're only human. And so am I. We can always try to do everything in our power, but we'll never amount to it. Do you agree?" he removed his hand.

"I... I do," Peach sniffed.

"When you mentioned that you were worried about breaking my heart again, I felt the same way. This is what Pauline told me; relationships are never going to be flawless. Obviously, we had some tension, and there's likely a chance that it can happen in the future. However, she explained that talking it out helps. I felt grateful when I spoke to her, Cappy, and my brother. And then I felt relieved when I finally told you my reasons for ignoring you. At the end of the day, all I wanted was validation that we're still friends, and I thank you for that...

"Listen, I don't care if you reject my proposal. I'll respect your decision. If you're not ready, then you're not ready. If you think I'm not the right person, then that's fine. Nonetheless, I'll be there to rescue you when someone takes you away. I'll be there for you if you're ever feeling down about anything. I'll revere you for your hard work and dedication. Because even though we live in a world that isn't perfect, you always try your best to make it a better place. I can always rely on you first for help... Well, next to Luigi, of course..."

To Mario's surprise, Peach giggled at his words. What was more significant was that his words charmed her. Whenever Mario was involved, she always put her trust in him.

"So whether or not we're a couple, there will be a place in my heart that loves you. Because you mean something to me in my life."

She pulled him close once more. Rather than expressing sadness, she released tears of joy.

"I feel the same way, too. Thank you, Mario."

"You're welcome, Peach."

"I love you."

A long pause lingered before he responded back. "Ti amo anch'io." (2)

Mario and Peach took another moment to gaze in their eyes. Their pools of blue glistened from both happy tears and the moonlight. Then, as their smiles slightly faded away, the distance between them became smaller. Heads were tilted and eyes were closed. Soon after, their lips touched. Mario softly caressed Peach's cheek with his gloved hand. The princess laid her own on top of his shoulder. They remained still in their positions for a minute. Eventually, they ended their kiss. Their cheeks reddened, not from embarrassment, but from passion.

"Um..." Mario was having trouble to form coherent thoughts.

Peach was in the same boat. "So..."

More silence filled the air around them. It broke when Mario opened his mouth.

"I... guess I'll see you at the party, huh?"

"Oh... yes. Of course. We do have to be up and ready early tomorrow."

Mario got up from his knees and helped the princess by taking her hand. "Thanks for taking the time to listen. And thanks for understanding, too."

"The same goes for you, Mario. I'm delighted you were able to talk to me."

Mario smiled at her for the first time tonight. Actually, the first time in months. Nevertheless, he was happy that they were both well in the end. They shared one last hug.

"Good night, Princess."

"Good night, Mario," she planted another kiss, this time on his nose.

Mario gave a bow to her before leaving. Being the kind of guy that he was, Mario didn't leave the castle the normal way. He hopped over the balustrade and stood on the castle roof. He carefully jumped down onto the bridge above the moat. Mario glanced back at the woman in pink. Her hands were held over her heart as she grinned down at him. Mario returned the smile and tipped his red hat at her before he made his way back home. He sighed, feeling reassured that he restored his friendship with Peach.

END OF CHAPTER

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Mario and Peach are NOT engaged and are NOT getting married. Therefore, the second answer to my poll question was that Mario apologizes, but he gets rejected by Peach. Despite this, they are still close friends.

I feel like I can sense at least one person who's pretty mad about this. But the reason why I let this be the outcome was that I didn't want to finish this story with some kind of storybook ending. It'd be too cliché and predictable. I've seen plenty of fanfics where Mario ends up marrying Peach and he becomes King of the Mushroom Kingdom. From the very beginning, my main purpose was to set up a different conclusion, one that was bittersweet yet not entirely tragic. So if I disappointed anyone, I can't pin any blame on you. However, this was my intention, and it'll stay that way. That doesn't mean this story is over though.

The final chapter will be the epilogue which takes place during Daisy's party. I'm not going to be too specific here, but you'll see what will transpire. And no, they still won't be engaged or married to each other. Until then, I hope everyone is having a Happy New Year. I'll see you all for the finale! This is TGN, signing off.

Post-Chapter Notes:

(1): Yellow Toad has helped Mario in the New Super Mario Bros. series since the Wii title, and apparently, he's not the same as Yellow Toad of the Toad Brigade from both Super Mario Galaxy games. He's still playable in the Deluxe Version of NSMBU. But obviously, we know he wasn't part of the big picture in that reveal. (Lord, help us all.)

(2): 'I love you, too' is the English translation.